The Humming Blonde
by sleeping-dragon96
Summary: Cho is lacking in her usual Christmas Spirit. Just when she thinks her day can't get any worse, Luna Lovegood wearing a lame Christmas sweater makes an appearance.


A/N: Prompt "Ravenclaw x Ravenclaw Frienship"

Additional Prompts: "It Had Been A Very Long Day", "Holding" and "Christmas"

_This is the first time I've ever written anything besides the Marauders so hopefully you enjoy it :D_

It had been a very long day.

First, it was the second Christmas without Cedric.

Secondly, she had had to spend Christmas at the castle because her parents were visiting family back in China.

Thirdly, Harry Potter was clearly in love with Ginny Weasley.

Cho was trying – and failing – to remain cheerful and with Christmas spirit but it was hard when it seemed the whole world was against you. It didn't help matters that it was raining to the point even practicing Quidditch was impossible. Cho was trapped inside the castle to watch all the other students smiling and laughing and eating.

It was hard to forget Cedric. Everywhere she looked; Cho would see something or smell something that reminded her of him. The Hufflepuff sweater that she wore to sleep, the book he lent her back when they first started dating, the smell of chocolate pudding which he was obsessed with and the mistletoe. Every time she walked underneath it, she would remember how Cedric would carry it around in his back pocket and pull it out whenever he felt the need to. He would carry it weeks after, always pulling it out when she least expected it.

It had been several years now and yet missing him would still hit her. Some days were fine and she could remember with a smile on her face. Sometimes she would even forget completely. Then she would remember and it was like she was hit with the Cruciatus Curse. It hurt, it took her breath away and she wondered if she would ever feel whole again.

Days like those she would desperately need to fly. Flying helped to clear her thoughts; she could spend hours without any thoughts except those of course which encouraged her not to fall off her broom. Today, she couldn't do the one thing that helped her escape. So she roamed the castle. Cho considered grabbing her broom and flying it around the castle but she knew as soon as a professor saw, she'd be in trouble. Peeves was also a dangerous threat she was in no mood to reckon with.

It was when walking around she overheard some Gryffindor boys. Harry was at the Weasley house for Christmas like nearly every other year. It shouldn't have been anything except for the way they joked about how much longer Ron would act like nothing had changed. Cho had seen the way Harry would stare at Ginny across the Gryffindor table. Cho had noticed how Harry would sling an arm around Ginny and laugh as they walked off the pitch. Cho had witnessed Harry's blush when Ginny whispered something to him.

She had been foolish enough to think that she was just imaging it. Harry was in love with Hermione. No way did Cho run off from one of the most amazing guys due to a misunderstanding. It just could not be true. If Harry was in love with Ginny, it would mean he didn't fancy Hermione, which meant he did only fancy her the year prior.

It meant she had messed up.

For a Ravenclaw, Cho felt she wasn't all that smart.

It was nearing the end of Christmas Day. Cho was seated in the common room, watching as other years began to stumble off to their rooms; whether too full of fire whisky or simply pure exhaustion. Sitting with a book in her lap; she was trying to concentrate on anything but the fact only two years prior her and Cedric had been stumbling to his dormitory after the day of celebrating her once favourite holiday.

The common room door swung open and the sound of humming floated towards Cho. Instantly Cho recognised it as a muggle Christmas carol she had grown up being forced to listen to whenever she went out shopping with her mother. It took her by surprise when the owner of the tune came into sight.

Luna Lovegood.

Cho wasn't one to keep record of blood status but she was pretty certain Luna didn't have any direct muggle heritage. Most wizards seemed to keep away from muggle public places as well, leaving Cho unsure how she would seem to know the whole carol to the perfect note. Her wand was tucked behind her ear, which always set Cho on edge – didn't she realise how dangerous that was? – and she had a highly tacky reindeer sweater on.

"Happy Christmas," her voice always reminded Cho of a cloud; so soft and risked floating away at any moment.

Cho smiled back at the girl who had taken residence in the arm chair next to her, "Merry Christmas to you too."

"It's quite strange," Luna was staring off into space and Cho wondered if she was talking to those 'nargle' things again, "how peculiar everyone is about saying 'Merry Christmas', why 'Merry'?"

It wasn't until her grey eyes zoomed onto Cho's brown eyes that Cho realised she was speaking to her.

"A historical reason I'm sure," Cho smiled a tight lipped smile before turning back to her book. Luna was younger than Cho and they had never really had anything in common besides Dumbledore's Army the previous year. They had never had a proper conversation if Cho was to be quite honest.

"Oh!"

Cho tore her eyes away from the pages of her novel once more to watch Luna glide off to girls' dormitory.

Returning back to her book, Cho tried her hardest to pay attention to the words on the book. Cedric's smile was clouding her mind and the memory of her storming away from Harry was making her feel sick from embarrassment and the knowledge she wasn't going to see her parents until Easter was too distracting for her.

"Here," Luna was back and holding a photograph in her pale hands.

It was Cedric.

Her breathe caught in her throat, oh god Cedric. Cho had no photos of Cedric and herself together, they hadn't thought it necessary. Yet here Luna was, casually holding a photo of Cho and Cedric at Christmas two years prior underneath mistletoe smiling at the wizarding camera.

Cho couldn't remember the photo being taken but from the way Cedric repeatedly pulled Cho near for a kiss; Cho wasn't surprised she would notice anything else properly in the world besides him.

Cho had forgotten how his right eye was smaller than the left and was especially noticeable when he smiled. Cho noticed how Cedric was smiling so bright each time he turned back to face the camera. Cho noticed how even though her face was turned towards the camera, her eyes kept stealing glances at the boy next to her.

"Thank you."

Luna smiled at Cho and for once the smile Cho returned wasn't forced.

Cho knew they weren't suddenly best friends but looking back at the best present she had ever received, she knew there was something between the two girls that Cho would remember forever.


End file.
